Supreme Court appoints special master in Carolinas water dispute

Published: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 4:07 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 4:08 p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) ó The Supreme Court appointed an outside lawyer Tuesday to help resolve a dispute between North Carolina and South Carolina over the water that flows through the Catawba River.

The court named Kristin Linsley Myles of San Francisco as the special master in the case. Myles has broad powers, including issuing subpoenas and calling witnesses.

The Catawba River, which winds 225 miles through the Carolinas, provides drinking water to 1.3 million people and electricity to at least a million people, according to Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp., which owns and operates the riverís reservoirs and power plants.

South Carolina filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court in June opposing plans by the North Carolina cities of Concord and Kannapolis to pump up to 10 million gallons a day from the river. South Carolina said a 1991 North Carolina law allowing the water transfer violates the U.S. Constitution because it prevents the states from equitably sharing the river.

North Carolina said its water needs pose no imminent threat to its southern neighbor and called for the suit to be dismissed.

The Supreme Court has typically appointed special masters in lawsuits between states.

Myles is a former clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia and is the first woman appointed a special master in one of these cases.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court appointed an outside lawyer Tuesday to help resolve a dispute between North Carolina and South Carolina over the water that flows through the Catawba River.</p><p>The court named Kristin Linsley Myles of San Francisco as the special master in the case. Myles has broad powers, including issuing subpoenas and calling witnesses.</p><p>The Catawba River, which winds 225 miles through the Carolinas, provides drinking water to 1.3 million people and electricity to at least a million people, according to Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp., which owns and operates the river’s reservoirs and power plants.</p><p>South Carolina filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court in June opposing plans by the North Carolina cities of Concord and Kannapolis to pump up to 10 million gallons a day from the river. South Carolina said a 1991 North Carolina law allowing the water transfer violates the U.S. Constitution because it prevents the states from equitably sharing the river.</p><p>North Carolina said its water needs pose no imminent threat to its southern neighbor and called for the suit to be dismissed.</p><p>The Supreme Court has typically appointed special masters in lawsuits between states.</p><p>Myles is a former clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia and is the first woman appointed a special master in one of these cases.</p>